Under A Paper Moon
by sarahserenity6296
Summary: After Tyler's first full moon, both he and Caroline need a distraction. So that's exactly what Caroline finds them. She might not be able to change things, but she can provide an escape for him, even if its only for a little while. Rated T for language.


"_Me and you, living under a paper moon'  
>'Cause real life just isn't right<br>Let's fabricate  
>Me and you, living under a paper moon<br>This real life just isn't right  
>Let's get away<br>Let's fabricate"_

_-"Under A Paper Moon" by All Time Low_

She wondered if his head was as messed up as hers was right now. It had to be, right? Her head was a dark, twisted place right now and she wasn't the one who had actually gone through it. His head had to be much, much worse than hers. That was scarier than the images in her head, replaying themselves over and over.

_Bones snapping… morphing into something less than human… golden eyes staring at her, set in his familiar human face… threatening her and begging for her help at the same time…._

She shuddered, drawing in a shaking breath as she heard the sound of bones snapping, screaming and then finally, growling echoing over and over in her head like a sick mantra. She was losing her mind laying in her bed, surrounded by the normalcy of her room. How could everything seem so normal when everything was just so _not_? Nothing had visibly changed, but she felt like everything was different.

It wasn't fair. Tyler was suppose to be human. He was suppose to be his normal, shallow, douche bag self who didn't care about anyone but himself. He was suppose to argue with her over stupid, trivial things and make her want to rip her hair out and scream at him. She always thought he was the one thing that would never change, even when her entire world was changing. Tyler was suppose to remain the same. But now because of stupid Katherine and her stupid hidden agendas, Tyler was no longer human. His entire like was changed. He was thrust into her world, a place Caroline wouldn't drag her worst enemy into.

It wasn't fair.

She couldn't lay here any longer thinking about this. She had to do something, take her mind off of things. She could call Matt… no, she didn't want to talk to him. Elena had enough problems right now, being the doppelganger of that bitch Katherine and dealing with the Salvatore brothers and their soap opera worthy drama. Bonnie was too hesitant about these things and Damon was absolutely out of the question. If he had it his way, Tyler would be dead right now. There was always Stefan. She didn't really want to talk to Stefan though. She wanted to talk to Tyler, but he was more than likely asleep.

He'd slept a little bit right after changing back to human, but it was only a little while before she woke him up and drove him home. She'd wanted nothing more than to go inside with him and curl up with him in his bed, holding him like she'd done most of the night, but she knew he would need some time to himself, to come to terms with everything. So she'd given him that, even if she didn't want to.

She should be doing the same thing. Sleeping, she meant. But she just couldn't get her mind to shut up. She couldn't get his face, twisted with pain, out of her head. Or even worse, right after he'd changed back and looked up at her with broken, horrified eyes and a tear streaked face, while holding onto her like she was the last solid thing in his entire world.

She knew that technically if she shot herself in the head, she wouldn't die, but she wondered how long it would actually knock her out. She needed a nice distraction. Sighing, she opted out of that idea. It would just be a huge headache and an even bigger mess.

The sun was just beginning to rise and her natural instincts shied away from the light, even if her conscious mind knew the big, tacky ring on her finger protected her against its otherwise deadly rays. But the sun also meant it was morning, which meant she had to leave for school soon. She used to love school. Now the idea made her want to gouge her own eyeballs out.

But it would be an excellent distraction, so she climbed out of her bed and listened for any sound downstairs. She heard nothing and for once, she was glad that her mom was so engrossed in her work she wasn't home. Caroline wasn't sure how well she'd be able to pretend this morning. She grabbed a blood bag out of her secret hiding place and drained it quickly. The one perk of being a vampire (besides the obvious ones like super speed and super hearing) was blood really was the answer to anything. If she was human, she'd have to cover her face in thick makeup to hide her night of no sleep, but being a vampire, one little blood bag would fix everything.

Well, everything on the outside at least.

* * *

><p>She wasn't sure exactly when and where she planned on seeing Tyler again, but she certainly hadn't expected it to be the morning after the full moon and at <em>school<em> of all places. But there he was, standing in the parking in his red jersey, passing out flyers for the latest fundraiser for the football team, like absolutely nothing was wrong. He was even _smiling. _

She wound through people, politely saying "excuse me" when some idiot ran right into her and declining flyer after flyer until finally she was only a few feet away from him. He had to know she was only a few steps away, but he hadn't looked yet, instead looking beyond what was in front of him to the student parking lot. Taking a deep breath, she walked right in front of him, blocking his view and forcing him to look at her.

His smile faltered just the slightest, allowing Caroline to see just how not okay he was, when he saw her. His chocolate brown eyes were haunted and held a weight she understood perfectly in them, making him look so much older than he really was. Almost on instinct, she took a step forward and wrapped her arms around him, pulling him tightly against her. He was hesitant for just a second, but then he relaxed and wrapped his arms around her waist. He buried his face in her hair and took a deep breath breathing her familiar scent in. They stayed in that position for a few minutes before finally pulling away.

"Hey," she said, breaking her usual rule of "never begin a conversation with awkward subtext."

The smile on his face was a little more genuine this time. "Hey," he said.

"How are you?" she asked, though she already knew. "I thought you might stay home today."

He shrugged. "A little sore I guess, but other than that I'm all healed."

If she felt like her normal self, she would have rolled her eyes. Of course he was healed. He was healed last night- this morning, whatever- when she'd taken him home. That was not what she had meant. "That's not what I meant," she said, quietly.

He looked down at the ground. She never noticed how long his eyelashes were until this moment. "I know," he admitted. "I'm just…I needed a distraction. I couldn't stay at home, locked in my head all day."

"Yeah, I know," she said. She knew exactly what he meant. "Next time we're going to have to do something different with the chains."

He looked up, surprised.

"What?" she asked.

"I- you said 'we're,'" he said, a question mark on his face.

She shifted, uncomfortably. What he was talking about? Then it hit her and she felt her cheeks flush. _Oh_. "I mean, I just assumed- if you don't want me there next time that's fine…"

"No," he said, quickly. "I want you there. I just didn't think you'd be there next time. I mean, I almost…."

The guilt in his eyes made her reach out her hand and lace her fingers through his, squeezing tightly. "Of _course_ I'm going to be there next time. And the next time and the next time."

The guilt was replaced with gratefulness and he used their intertwined hands to pull her to him, enveloping her in his arms again. "Thank you," he whispered, his hot breath tickling her ear.

She smiled. "Your welcome," she said. She waited a few seconds before adding, "We are going to have to do something about those chains though. You almost got me that one time and that would have…." She cut off quickly, not wanting to get into it.

He pulled back. "What?"

"Its nothing, really."

"Care, what is it?" he asked, looking worried.

"Well, its just that… one bite from a werewolf is pretty much a death sentence for a vampire," she said, lowly. "Its fatal."

His eyes went wide. "Oh my god," he said. "I-I could have killed you."

"But you didn't," she said. "And-"

"You stayed with me, even though I could have hurt you," he said, sounding horrified. "Why?"

"Because you needed me," she said. "And I needed to be there, too."

"But-"

"But nothing," she said, firmly. "You didn't hurt me. And next time, you won't either."

"Thank you," he said.

"You already said that," she pointed out, smiling.

His lips pulled up in a barely there smile. "I know," he said. "But I don't know what else to say."

"Just… say you're going to be okay," she said, suddenly needing to hear those words. "Tell me that this isn't going to define the rest of your life."

"I-" he paused.

The bell rang for class and it surprised her, like she forgot something could exist outside their little bubble.

"I'll see you later, okay?" he said.

"Yeah, sure," she said, though she wasn't done talking to him yet.

She stood where she was, watching him until he disappeared into a building before sighing and making her way to her own classroom.

First and second block were hell. She couldn't concentrate on the work, especially in Mr. Saltzman's class. All she could think about was exactly what she didn't want to think about: reality. He was just as much a part of the supernatural world as she was. When she saw him, she saw Damon and then she saw Stefan and so on until her thoughts were dragged to Tyler.

He'd paused when she told him to tell her what he was now wasn't going to define who he was. He'd hesitated. She knew that he thought his life was ruined now. That his life wasn't completely his now. He'd always have to worry.

* * *

><p>She needed to make him realize his life wasn't over. Sure, his old life was over, but he had a new one, even if he didn't want it. She didn't want her new life when she got it, but she'd made it work and she was pretty close to being happy. He could be too.<p>

When the bell for lunch rang, she bolted so quickly out of Spanish she half expected people to see her only as a blur of color, rather than herself. She wanted nothing more than to use her vampire speed to get to lunch quicker, but since that was, well, _not okay _she didn't. When she finally reached the doors leading to the outside field with picnic tables and saw Elena, Bonnie and Stefan all one, she hesitated. Stefan had his arm draped lazily across Elena's shoulder and was telling some bad joke Caroline heard, but didn't care to repeat. Bonnie and Elena both laughed.

In that moment, she realized she wasn't quite on the same page as them. Yes, they lived in the same world and had mostly the same problems as she did, but she didn't think they fully understood anything. They were her friends, but they weren't who she needed right now. She needed….

Tyler. That was exactly who she needed. She spotted him walking with one his friends and she pushed out of the door. She avoided people, laughing and talking, and made her way to him, pausing briefly to give Stefan, Elena and Bonnie a small smile and a wave. They waved back, but all looked curiously at her.

Finally, she reached Tyler, who had _that_ look in his eyes, despite his calm expression as he talked to one of their classmates. It was that look that said everything was beginning to become too much and he was about to freak out. She knew the look because she'd seen it in the mirror a million times after she was first changed. She also knew the effect of it and she didn't want Tyler to carry that guilt, so she made a quick decision.

"Hey, Tyler. Can I talk to you?" she asked, shooting the guy he was talking to a polite smile.

"Yeah, sure," he said, sounding relieve. He nodded to the guy and said they'd talk later. Tyler waited until he was out of hearing distant before sighing and turning back to her. "I'm losing my mind," he admitted.

"I know," she said. "That's where I come in."

Before he said anything, she continued. "Let's leave."

He raised an eyebrow. "School?"

"No… yes," she said. "Yes, school but I mean Mystic Falls… Virginia… The United States for all I care. Let's just _leave_."

He was looking at her like she was insane, which caused her to sigh. "We can't just run away, Care," he said, slowly.

She rolled her eyes. "We aren't _running away_," she said. "Okay, we _are_, but only for a weekend."

He opened his mouth to come up with an excuse not to, no doubt, so she raised her hand, silencing him. "We can leave today and come back Sunday night. We won't miss any school and its not like either of our moms will care."

He was quiet for just a second. "When do we leave?" he asked.

She smiled. "Right now. I can't handle another second of class, let alone three more _hours_ worth."

"Me either," he said.

They walked silently to her car since Tyler said he had walked to school, trying to clear his head, this morning. She'd compel their teacher's on Monday to forget they were gone, so that problem solved. They opened the door and slipped in.

As Caroline pulled out of school grounds, Tyler asked, "So where to?"

"Anywhere your credit card and my compulsion can take us," she said, smiling. "So… anywhere."

He looked over at her, a small smile tugging on his lips. "Anywhere," he repeated.

She nodded and reached for his hand, lacing her fingers through his. She hadn't thought twice about it and briefly wondered if it would make him uncomfortable. One glance at him answered her question though. He was staring out the windshield, smiling as they passed Mystic Falls and the baggage it now held. It was an easy, light smile.

Her mind drifted back to this morning and how he'd hesitated when she asked him to tell her he would be okay. The truth was, he would never truly be okay anymore. He'd never be able to go back to his old life and the smaller, more trivial problems it had held. It just wasn't possible for him. But that didn't mean what he had become would define who he was, who he _became_. She vowed to herself she would make him understand that.

But not this weekend. This weekend wasn't about what they were or their futures. She couldn't give him a solution to all of his problems, but she could give him an escape, if only for a few days. _That _was what this weekend was about.

* * *

><p><em>AN: This is a one shot for now (I'm way too busy with my other stories to start a new one) but when things settle down, I might make this into a story. But it all depends on how you guys like it, so leave me a review telling me what you think. (:_


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